A Copernican View of the Turntable System

Dear all,
this is a thread full of helpful ideas how to improve the installation of TTs and the whole system. I needed over ten years to find out that the most limiting factor for good sound is the listening room itself. Usually you cannot change the room's structure and you need to compromise on many topics. This was exactly my situation in 2006.

Then I decided to build my own room. It took me two years studying and doing preparations for the final design, building structure and all the issues for the potential technical and acoustical effects. At this place I do not repeat what I am writing on my page but let me express that besides of the best construction material the right size of the room, having enough space behind and above the speakers and also between the speakers and the listening position is most important.

Either you do it in a monitor setting very close to the speakers as Jonathan suggests or you do it like I did keeping reflections ( also the first reflections ) under control by putting special frequency related treatment material in the additional extra-ceiling and also breaking the waves by the
surrounding wall installations avoiding glass and flat structures at the same moment.

It may sound funny but it is a big challenge to create a room which breathes and still has some atmosphere, so you like to stay there and do not feel entering a bunker or a dead room. In the end we want to relax and enjoy the sound - not the distortions. I have to admit that some theories work pretty well when being implemented but there are lots of thoughts also in this thread applying on "small rooms" which definitely do
not work in my listening room. Not a big issue for me anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to highlight my special situation ( maybe a little too :^) . What could be more important is that if you have a nice system and you do think about an apropriate room you may put some efforts in this rather than rebuilding the system all the time, or shielding everyhing around you. We need to live with airborne and structural waves but you can do a lot of improvements.

best & fun only

This thread moves fast, so pardon me for stepping back a few days.

Jcarr: Thanks for the response to my post regarding the placement of my rack. I recently changed my rack from an Ikea shelve that was low and wide to a proper rack that is tall and narrow. The change in dynamics and bass response was dramatic. The new rack as far back as it can go but less than 500mm (20") back from front face of the speakers.

Besides the the interconnects there is also the issue that my dedicated power line runs to an outlet located on the wall between the speakers. Moving the rack would require pulling the wires again or a long extension cord.

All this is to say, that my experience with the change of rack leads me to agree with Tuchan's statement that the most limiting factor to good sound is the room. Understanding and taming your room and its contents will likely have bigger impact than any gear upgrade. That is not say that good gear is not required, it is necessary but not sufficient.

Dear Thuchan, Some Dutch Jew was reading the paper and suddently started to cry. His best mate Mos asked what the reason was. Sam : "Don't you see the Rockefeller is passed awy.''
Mos : 'I am really sorry but I had no idea that Rockefeller is family of yours.'
Sam: 'that is exactly the problem.'

Regards,

I agree with Nick. The turntable may be the center of the system with which everything in the front end has a specific relationship, but the ROOM is the universe and the most important element in achieving good sound.

Hi Nick –

Besides the the interconnects there is also the issue that my dedicated power line runs to an outlet located on the wall between the speakers.

IMO - I rate the quality of electricity as important as the room. I did not want to deal with extra cords and I know I have a problem with moving gear around a lot. I did not want to be at the mercy of the wall outlets. So I had the electrican install a shielded flexible dedicated line with 4 outlets on the end. This flexible line will reach back into the deepest section of the room if needed. My amps get plugged into it.

This flexible line has provided me the freedom to place gear anywhere and experiment.

For my neighborhood my meter has shown anywhere from 115 at the worst in summer to 122 depending on the time of year. I can remember years ago when turning on the amps and the lights would dim momentarily.

Cheers Chris